Spring/Summer/Autumn 2024

How did we get here? 

I hadn't been to the river Bain for nearly a year and a half. Anywhere I frequented with my dogs I initially avoided as a kind of protection mechanism. When I eventually returned I had my emotions prodded in an entirely different way. I bumped into one of you, chances of that? Paul looks late fifties, Nick says he's actually about ninety. Paul is always unfailingly nice to me. He isn't on Facebook and after a long chat he said that he always checks to see if I've done a new blog post and has been highly disappointed with the radio silence. So here we are, post 101, the entry that I was never going to write. Nick won't know I've dropped him in it, he only looks at the pictures.

Close Season.

Withern Mill trout fishery was amazingly accommodating of my dogs and I, it was a favourite place of theirs. That was that off the list. Skegness Water Leisure park was my other usual option. There are some really quite ugly carp in there but also some beauties and they're a good average size. Easy to catch too. Sadly the old bailiff retired and we got a shiny new one. One of my failings as a human is a lack of forgiveness. If you treat me in a way I don't think I deserve you won't get a second chance. He was an absolute helmet. I never went back.

With my options limited Leo threw me a lifeline. He'd found a place near to Grantham almost equidistant from us both that contained some nice catfish. On arrival it was quite a small lake, with two other anglers already present. With lots of overhanging trees and a couple of islands there was plenty still to go at though. Leo and I chose our spots, I was furthest away from everyone in a corner while Leo had a chap to his right whilst still having a big margin and point of an island to go at. By lunchtime we were all set up and fishing. 

That afternoon the chap to Leo's right caught steadily. I think he'd caught six catfish by the time the light started to fade. It was quite frustrating sitting there watching a masterclass but he was a venue regular and knew the place like the back of his hand. Leo was far more proactive than me, befriending the chap and 'borrowing' some of his bait (big flavoured pellets). I stuck steadfastly to my squid approach which I had ultimate confidence in. Strangely when it got fully dark Leo's friend wound in, preferring uninterrupted sleep over more catfish.

About an hour into dark I started to get the odd liner which pricked my senses. It was bloody cold for a spring night and I didn't expect much but knew I was in with a chance. Sure enough I had a steady take and struck into a very angry cat. It gave me the runaround, snagging me twice but my stiff rods and 30lb mono eventually tamed it. Leo came over to help.

43lb

Half an hour later I got to return the favour as Leo had a slightly smaller example.

Sadly that was the last of the action. On speaking to Leo's new friend in the morning it was highly likely that I'd managed to catch the biggest cat in the lake. I couldn't have asked for better than that on our first visit. 

Next up was another catfish trip, this time a few of us had booked Oakwood Park predator lake in Norfolk. 

Marin Barnatt, Rob Thompson, Dave Owen, Mrs P (my wife), Nate Green, Me and the wonderful David Frame. Mike Lyddon and Andy Shaw were there too.

It was a fabulous trip, although sadly not everyone caught. I struggled and reckon I missed more chances than I actually converted. It was incredibly frustrating having braid pour off the reel and striking into nothing on multiple occasions. Luckily I did manage a couple of nice ones...... 

41lb

Mid thirty

Andy Shaw stole the show with a magnificent cat of 83lb

Andy Shaw 39lb

Dave Owen 75lb

Dave Owen 36lb

Rob Thompson 37lb

Mike Lyddon 31lb

As you can see Oakwood is a great place for catching cats. It's expensive but not prohibitively so for the occasional trip. Dai had missed the early summer trip due to his guiding schedule. We arranged for another session later that summer. The lake was relatively quiet and we settled in the swim I'd fished before.

Tonight Matthew I'm going to be a catfish angler

I was set up and had two cat baits out in a matter of minutes. Dai took considerably longer as he did lots of weird stuff proper specimen hunters do- plumbing, deepering, marking, spodding, generally faffing about. He's the british record roach holder and also caught the biggest tench ever by design I think but he wasn't immune from some barracking from the heckler next to him. As we were having what I believe the kids call 'bants' I noticed some bubbling in my swim. I watched intently for a few minutes and reckoned they were being caused by carp. I quickly set up a carp rod and cast a 20mm pop up over the bubbles. Sure enough about ten minutes later I had a screaming take and after a spirited battle I had a fine common in the net....

20lb 2oz

Now anyone that knows me will tell you I'm a big Superbowl fan, it's the razzmatazz you see. Unrivalled as a spectacle and the anthem is always particularly rousing. Less well known is my appreciation for a brass band. As I sat there that afternoon after catching a reasonable fish, having a laugh with my friend I sat on my chair and heard something in the distance. A nearby American airbase was having some sort of parade and the faint tones of a brass band drifted towards me. As the tune progressed they got louder, it was the star spangled banner.  Some moments in life are obvious to appreciate, others less so. Those little pieces of a jigsaw I didn't know I was doing combined to form a random magical moment that will never happen again.  

Anyway, we never did see a catfish for two days. The lake exclusive booking for three days after us never saw one either. Miserable bastards.

The rivers open up

I had a change of job this year. Combined with major surgery for my wife fishing opportunities were limited. One memorable trip I dropped Mrs P off at Nottingham hospital and made my way to one of the best areas of the Trent, sure I wouldn't get my favoured area while she went under the knife. Amazingly not only were the pegs free but I had the entire stretch to myself. I'd just set up and was ready to cast in when my phone went. Her surgery had been cancelled and could I pick her up again? 

A few weeks later I dropped her off for her new appointment and stayed closer this time, just in case. When serious life stuff happens fishing pales into insignificance. I wasn't really bothered, I was just killing time until she was ready to go home. I caught a barbel, about 8lb from memory.  Excuse the tash, it was a dare.

With Mrs P safely home I was happy to look after her. In fact I probably did less fishing last spring/summer than I had for years. When she was fully recovered I spent the night on a new to me stretch of tidal Trent with Nick. That was less productive than we expected but I did manage to catch one during the night. Probably the hardest fighting barbel I'd ever caught. It almost comically refused to give up.

11lb 2oz

Closer to home the rumour mill had been in overdrive for many months about a new carp lake very close to my home. 40's, maybe even a 50lber had been stocked into a small caravan park lake. Zak and I were going to be some of the first to try it out. I expected it to be far easier than it turned out to be. In an effort to keep the carp growing they were fed on a daily basis. Great for the carp, not so for those trying to catch them. I did catch a couple but sadly none of the big ones. The biggest one out that I know of at the time of writing is 38lb. 

Not 38lb

The Witham

Nick had moored his excellent Linder boat at one of the few marinas on the lower Witham. It gave us access to areas we knew well. Pike and Perch were to be the targets for the Autumn. On one of the first sessions on there I was on my own. After motoring some distance downstream I saw a paddleboarder coming towards me. I slowed right down to let them pass and had a speculative cast with a TRD. Unbelievably I had a take as soon as it hit the bottom. I've caught a lot of three pounders from the Witham's various tributaries, often yards from the main river. If memory serves me correct I think this latest fish was only my second three from the main river proper.

3lb 1oz

Of course I spent the next couple of hours in the area thrashing the water to a foam with only one modest perch to show for my efforts. It just highlighted what a fluke the first one was. 

Nick captained the next trip and as usual he was late. I had a little look around on my own and thought I may have found some perch. Eventually Nick arrived and we set about them. They were in residence and some good ones too....

3lb 7oz

Nick 3lb 5oz

Along with the three pounders we had several two's each before we exhausted the swim. 

The next few sessions weren't as productive. I lost a very big perch while Nick sat on the landing net one day. How big we'll never know. We caught plenty of perch but no really big ones. We also had plenty of Pike, again nothing spectacular. I did catch an errant 5lb Tench on the dropshot which was amusing. We also saw more people fishing from boats than ever before. "Your fault" proclaimed Nick. The increased pressure and weird weather has made things a little more challenging.

That just about concludes my highlights. Slim pickings compared to previous years. I've enjoyed being a bit more relaxed about my fishing though. I went through a period of being quite focused on upping all my PBs, then I found enjoyment in watching others catch theirs, now I like the social side of bigger gatherings. Where we go from here is a mystery, just how I like it.

Round up

I've never done a PB list so without further ado....

Lincolnshire only

Pike (lake) 23.8

Pike (river) 22.2

Carp 23.5

Chub 6.11

Roach (river) 3.4

Roach (lake) 2.8

Rudd 2.11

Perch 3.15

Bream (river) 8.11

Tench (river) 6.4

Dace 15oz

Eel 3.0

Catfish 43

Brown Trout 9.4

Rainbow 8.2

Smoothound 15.10

Bass 4.10

Thornback 5.0

Mackerel 2.2

Other stuff

My wife organised a surprise party for my 50th. I was humbled by the attendance of everyone, including my fishing friends from all over the country......

Typically I marked my 50th with a midlife crisis present to myself which reignites another passion from my youth.....

And finally we've just been on the most amazing holiday to Zanzibar thanks, in part, to getting lots of holiday vouchers for my birthday.....

Till next time.......

Autumn/Winter 2023/24

 A Milestone

So, here we are. Blog entry number one hundred. Thank you to everyone involved over the years, it has been almost exclusively a positive experience. There have been a few ups and downs, not only in the fishing but also the writing. That said, I'm immensely proud of some of the stuff I have written so thanks again for indulging me. 

Sad news

When Daisy, one of our Labradors so sadly passed away I said she couldn't be a footnote. Such a massive part of this blog but also my life. The same, therefore must apply to her sister- Harriet. She passed just after I wrote the last entry. I didn't have a favourite but Harry was just fucking adorable. Some of you met her. She could raise a smile out of even 'I'm not-a-dog person' friends. Never again will I be fishing and have a big soppy head on my shoulder. Such an incredible companion, she died in my arms with me telling me I loved her.

The fishing

When Daisy died I was bereft for quite a while. On Harry's passing after the initial heartbreak I forced myself to get busy living. Martin and I always share an autumn perch fishing session on one of his local venues. It was a bit soon but I made myself go fishing. Little did we realise what was about to unfold....

We both got to the venue in question at first light. I quickly pumped the boat up while Martin readied all the bait and tackle. Dropshotting worms has proved by far the most effective method over the years and we were soon afloat casting to various likely looking spots. I had a good two pounder almost straight away and then Martin caught a beauty of 3lb 6oz....

Over the next few hours Martin incredibly added another five three pounders topped by this magnificent example...

3lb 11oz

On many occasions fishing doesn't make sense. We were both fishing in the same way, yet Martin took most of the spoils that day. So close to losing Harry I wasn't really present but felt I fished pretty well, there's really not a lot to that particular style of fishing. People often say they are pleased for someone else's success. They rarely mean it. Being part of one of Martin's red letter days was a privilege though. Seeing his enjoyment sprinkled a little sugar on my dour state of mind. I didn't leave that day without a big one myself, finally managing to get one over the magical mark....

3lb 6oz

We also had quite a few big twos that day too. Quite remarkable fishing.

2lb 10oz

As word got around among our peers a couple of them quite understandably wanted in on the action. Despite what you've just read and see on social media a three pound perch is still a relatively rare beast. It was an awkward situation as I had the boat but Martin had introduced me to the venue. Luckily and as ever he was remarkably understanding and gave us his blessing. 

Round two involved our friend Nick. This time I was first out of the blocks with a big perch on my second cast...

3lb 5oz

Nick then took over as a repeat of the previous session seemed to pan out. He caught three perch over three pounds in quick succession. This was the best....

Also 3lb 5oz

I've had a bit of abuse over the years for naming venues or making them a bit obvious and as Nick's other three pounders show a bit too much in the background so I'll leave them out. Should keep the self-appointed fishing police happy, if they ever are. I had another bang on three pounds too along with some more pretty twos...

3lb

2lb 12oz

Right, are you keeping count? I make that twelve three pound perch in two trips between us. 

Next up was James Truscott. With a busy work life and young family James doesn't get out nearly as much as he would like so he was a shoo-in for some instant perch action. Now all these perch aren't caught from exactly the same spot. When Nick and I went they were in different areas to my first visit with Martin. In fact Martin caught his biggest fish completely out of the blue a long way from where we started off that day. Such is the amount of fish present and the size of the venue there is almost never just one group of big perch.

With this in mind James and I moved the boat around frequently to keep the bites coming. He ended the morning with an incredible four perch over three pounds.

3lb 6oz x2

3lb 7oz

A new PB for James at 3lb 9oz

 I think from memory his previous PB was with me too, on Pitsford. Brilliant to share in his achievments.

 What about you Phil? I hear you ask. Well I fared a little better than before. What you're about to see is preposterous. I'm embarrassed by it. It's definitely not James' fault but I usually frame my own photos on a forward facing camera on a bankstick. More often than not I'm not too bad at it. Not being able to see myself and the fish produces variable results that I'm rarely happy with. Bear that in mind before you tear me a new one for holding it out, quite the most ridiculous example of, I'm sure you'll agree. Fine fish though..

3lb 11oz

A liitle better framing (not much) 3lb 8oz

Nice to see me smile. 3lb

Deluge

After those memorable perch sessions the rain came. It seemingly continued to fall for the rest of the autumn and winter. Nick joked he had remembered a year when he hadn't been able to fish one of the bigger local rivers all winter one year, so bad were the conditions. Little did we realise we were about to experience another.

With a new job for myself and the rivers so high I didn't fish much, certainly nothing like previous years. Nick and I did have a few trips out on his fabulous Linder boat though and while the main river wasn't fishable we found a few tributaries and backwaters that periodically held a few fish. Nick stumbled across a very nice perch late one session caught on a worm....

3lb 2oz perch

Nice two pounder

Despite some initial limited success we never found perch in any numbers all winter. They were impossible to find in the dirty water. After a couple of very poor sessions we decided to target pike which we'd seen at various spots on our travels. I don't know how many doubles I caught over the winter but it was a lot. The really big ones eluded me though and the best I had was this one....

17lb 2oz

A week after this fish we managed to find some clear water and I actually saw a pike shoot out from some structure and take Nick's bait. I instantly knew it was a good one, exciting stuff. As I write this now I realise I was with Nick when he caught his previous PB pike. Must be his lucky charm....

20lb 10oz and a very happy Nick

Such was the intensity of the weather over the winter Nick had to rescue his boat several times. Unprecedented river levels saw it break free from its moorings on one fraught occasion.  Luckily it survived and we had a few more trips when conditions allowed and while we caught lots more pike we didn't have any bigger ones. 

Kennet trip

After Christmas a few of us gathered together in deepest Berkshire for a return visit to the beautiful river Kennet. Another trip to an exclusive trout beat had been arranged by our mysterious 'fixer'. We were privileged the first time we went so when the chance of a return came up we snapped up the opportunity.

Made famous by A Passion for Angling this particular beat used to hold several coarse species of specimen proportions. Roach, grayling, dace, chub and pike. Sadly only the chub and pike remain in any numbers but while trout are the mainstay efforts are being made to return coarse stocks to the river.

Now there are people in this photo probably reading this that are wondering what I'm going to say next. Er, I don't really know how to explain but lets just say we all nearly got thrown off the beat before we'd even started. A very angry estate worker I'd managed to enrage soon calmed down and we all enjoyed a lovely day roaming about. 

The river was high, very high but remarkably clear. Sadly the chub fishing wasn't as prolific as the previous year. The carriers weren't even visible, lost in fields of floodwater. Someone got very lucky on his first cast of the day though and it really couldn't have happened to a nicer chap....

6lb 10 chub for Andy Wilson, his first and only bite.

Dai Gribble too had a bite very early on. Now if you're wondering what it takes to one of the finest specimen anglers in the land I'll explain in one paragraph...

Dai missed the bite but he was convinced a sneaky chub was the culprit. Over the course of the morning he tried various tactics to no avail. We'd walk by and Dai would be muttering about how sure he was there was a chub present, as he fiddled about with some new method or other. Fast forward about nine hours later to dusk. The rest of us were in the car park, loaded up ready to go home. The incredibly friendly river keeper asked if any one was left. It was a loaded question, he wanted to go home, we all did. Eventually Dai appeared through the gloom. "Did you catch it Dai?" we asked. "Of course, as soon as the light faded, a lovely chub just like I said" he replied. The weight apparently didn't matter. He was right, it was about twelve ounces. 

The iconic weed rack

Two dreaded crayfish clinging to my dead bait

I did have one chub of about three pounds and Darren Clarke had a few to nearly five pounds but the nothing else of note was caught all day. Richie Martin swears blind he saw an owl the size of a small Zeppelin. He thought for a split second it might be hunting him. It's that sort of place, quite remote and absolutely bursting with life. A truly special part of the country so thank you to the keeper Jimmy for letting us spend the day there.

The day after saw us head to a nearby stretch of the Thames that had been recommended to us by the Angling Trust's Martin Salter. Sadly there was a little bit too much water on for it to be productive although we did try. Story of much of the winter really.

A surprise

Andy Loble was keen to meet up for a fishing trip. Slightly odd as he's usually up a mountain or on a paddle board or cross country skiing or something similarly adventurous. Little did I know he'd organised a surprise for me. So six of us agreed to meet up on the Trent for a days chub fishing. The fishing was rubbish. Only Dave Owen redeemed himself with a couple of modest examples. Half way through the day though I was presented with a hand drawn picture of Daisy and Harriet. Arranged by Andy and paid for by all my lovely friends at SHUK.

One of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Thank you

A reluctant realisation of a dream I've never had

I remember writing about my desire to catch a two pound roach many years ago. I've had four since then. A roach of three pounds has never been on the agenda. So scarce throughout the country let alone Lincolnshire which friends will insist I rarely leave. 

Just before Christmas I got a message out of the blue. A friend had seen some very big roach on a river I was vaguely familiar with. I'd seen them too but many years ago and maybe a couple of two pounders in among hundreds if not thousands of smaller ones. Now he is a very experienced angler and freely admitted he wasn't the best at guesstimating sizes in water but said some of them had got to be three pounds plus.

I had a fleeting thought about fishing for them but I'd tried before, more than once and I'd surmised that the smaller ones made it impossible to get to the big ones. I knew others that had seen them too but nobody as far as I knew had ever caught them.

Three months later and a day before the end of the season Nick suggested the very same venue as it would probably be the only place fishable as it usually ran fairly clear. I wanted to go to the Trent but it was in the fields again, so begrudgingly agreed just to get out of the house.

I arrived before Nick as usual. He's not an early morning person. After a good half an hour walking around I settled in a likely looking spot. I set up a tip rod and fished a lump of bread flake on a size ten hook, I wasn't messing about, I wanted to deter the small ones. Sure enough as soon as I cast in the tip started tapping about while presumably small roach tried to pluck the bread off the hook. I'd pinched the bread on as hard as I could so sat on my hands until I got a positive bite. Over the next hour this resulted in a couple of net roach of about ten ounces. 

Nick appeared and we had a brief chat. Apparently I was in a noted chub peg. After a short while he wandered off and I carried on fishing. I don't think the tip ever sat still for more than thirty seconds. The small fish were relentless and I was getting itchy feet. I would have preferred far less bites but from bigger fish I thought as I started putting a few bits and bobs back in my little bag. I was preparing for a move. 

I was still watching the tip all the time and sure enough a couple of taps developed into a hittable bite. I struck and was met with considerable resistance. I immediately thought- oh it must be one of those chub Nick was on about. The fight wasn't chub-like though as it stayed resolutely mid river. A chub would surely charge about all over the place? After a while it surfaced a short distance downstream and it was the biggest roach I've ever seen.  The rest of the fight was the most tense few seconds I think I've ever experienced, praying for it not to come off.

With it safely in the net, I couldn't quite take it in. I rang Nick and he said he would come back to help me out. I sat there for the next few minutes in a daze not quite believing what had just happened. Soon enough Nick appeared. "That's three pounds all day long" Nick said as he peered into my net. I don't think he's ever seen a three pound roach but neither had I and I secretly knew it was over a weight I'd never imagined catching. It was just enormous.

3lb 4oz

Broad across the back

I fished on in shock. I knew the river held big roach and I was fishing for them but never expected to catch a three pounder. Not in my wildest dreams. 

I gave it another hour or so before finally having a wander. Nick dropped into my peg and caught a small roach every trot down on the float. They really are among hundreds of small ones. I was just incredibly fortunate. 

Final word

Thank you again to everyone that has been part of this blog over the years. People I really admire and am grateful to call friends. We've had some really really great adventures. There are ninety-nine other entries to this diary that are all still there. There are some great stories and some great fish along the way too. Feel free to peruse them at your leisure. 

Many people have me to continue but it's mainly people I know anyway so it could be the last but never say never. If I've got a story to tell, l might just fire up the laptop again.

Thank you

for Harriet, I miss you.